THE LICENSING BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 187, 17 November 1910, Page 5

THE LICENSING BILL.

FURTHER AMENDMENTS BY THE COUNCIL By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Licensing Amendment Bill was further debated by the Legislative Council in committee this afternoon. Hon. fi. F. Smith moved at clause 4 to substitute 55 per cent, for a three-fifths majority to carry no-license. The amendment was lost by 20 to 6. Clause !) was nmende.l, making every determination come into force on the expiration of three months after the day of the general election. Cause 11 (Licensing Committees to grant licenses as under the principal Act) was amended by the addition of a proviso that every application for licenses shall be subject to all provisions of sections 83 to 105, except paragraph C of section 91 and section 1(13 of the principal Act. A new sub-section in place of "and" was inserted in clause 12 (relating to alteration of boundaries of a district), to the effect that if the result of the poll is that licenses shall not be restored in a district, all licenses existing in the district at the time when the poll is taken shall, unless sooner determined by law, continue in force until 30th June next following, and then lapse. Clauses 15 and 23, dealing with the result of the poll, were amended so as to provide for an enquiry where the Attor-ney-General is satisfied that a prima facie case has been established that irregularities have been committed in con-, nection with the poll which might ma'-. terially have affected the result of the poll.

Clause 29 (new publicans' licenses not to be granted hereafter except in special cases), sub-clause 2 was amended to read; "In every case one new publican's license may at the first annual meeting after the forfeiture of the former license, or at the annual meeting at which the renewal of the former license might have been granted, if duly applied for, be granted by the Licensing Committee having jurisdiction for the time being in the place where the premises were situated to which the former license related."

The Council rose at 5 p.m. THE EVENING SESSION. In the Legislative Council this evening the Licensing Bill was resumed in com" mittee. At clause 31, throwing upon the Minister the final decision as to whether a poll has been materially affected by any disturbance, the Attorney-General declined to accept the responsibility, end had the clause modified, whereby, on bis certificate, the Court might review the legality of such poll. At clause 31, the Attorney-General moved to eliminate sub-clause 7: "No prosecution for an offence against ths». section shall be commenced without the consent of the Attorney-General." Dr. Findlay said it was improper to throw this responsibility upon the AttorneyGeneral. The sub-section was struck out.

At clause 45 (brewery depots not to 4 be established within five miles of no— *» license districts), the proviso was -attered to read that nothing in the Actf shall apply to a brewer's ordinary bot-" 1 tling warehouse established prior to the •■> carrying of no-license in a district, so) | long' as the warehouse ia used exclu-' "• sively as such. ,? A new clause was adopted on the mo- M tion of the Attorney-General, declaring "j the licensing districts of Clutha, Ma- -: taura, Invercargill, Ashburton, Oamaru, j Grey Linn, Bruce, Wellington Suburbs, ) Wellington South, Masterton, Ohine- { muri and Eden to be no-license dis- j tricts. \ The Attorney-General carried the fol- •» lowing new clause: '(1) It shall not be \ lawful within any no-license district, or \ within any area to which section 273 of < the principal Act is applicable, for any j person whomsoever to store or keep i liquor for any other person, or to lease, i let, hire, or permit, or suffer to be \ used, any building or place belonging to or occupied by him, or in his possession, * or under his control, or any part of any <] such building or place, for the purpose ') of storing or keeping therein or thereon /■ any liquors for or by any other person; ,'j (2) every person who commits a breach ~' of this section is liable, for a first of- j, fence, to a fine not exceeding £SO. and,; for a second or any subsequent offence, j to imprisonment for any term not ex-»,j ceeding three months." 2 A number of amendments were made •; in the schedule, and the Bill was re-./ ported and read a third time and passed.'' LABOR'S PROTEST. ' i Wellington, Last Night. \ The Wellington branch of the New-/ Zealand Labor Party to-night passed a j resolution protesting against the three-'! fifths majority clauses in the Licensing'-" Bill, in reference to local No-license and'| Dominion Prohibition. 4